LTC (Retired) Walter H. Miller
Lion Walter Miller was born March 14, 1925, in East McKeesport, Pennsylvania to Lloyd P. and Esther E. (Johnson) Miller. He graduated from East McKeesport High School in 1943. Mr. Miller's brother Bill, was drafted into service in 1941 and Walt volunteered for the Rmy Air Corp in February of 1943. He passed the test for Pilot training and entered CTD (College Training DFetachment) at Penn State in June of 1943. He was then sent to Keesler AFB for flight engineer training for B-24s and Gunnery training (Martin Upper) at Tyndall. He ended up on a B-24 Combat rew and was sent to the China-Burma-India theater. At the time, the Army Air Corps needed gasoline for their planes in China. The B-24 bombers were converted into tankers and they ended up flying over the Hump into Kumming, China. Mr. Miller was honorably discharged in 1946.
Mr. Miller came back home and worked at Westinghouse Air Brake for one year. He entered North Carolina State to study Forest Management and in the third year, an Air Force Recruiting team offered training through the Cadet program.
Mr. Miller graduated from Navigator's school, Ellington AFB in 1951, and two weeks later, he was in Korea flying B-26 missions with the 13th Bomb Squadron. He flew 55 low-level night interdiction missions. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and tow Air Medals.
He returned to Ellington AFB to teach navigation and met Cecelia L. "Cese" Louise Cook and they were married June 13, 1953 in Houston, Texas. To this union, three daughters were born. He transferred to Harlingen, Texas in 1958. After one year he volunteered for Strategic Air Command (SAC) and went to Mather for B-52 training. SAC put him on track for Altus, OK and the 26th Bomb Squadron. After training at Mather and Castle, he arrived at Altus in 1960. He was on a crew until 1965 and then went to the Wing at Altus. But most of all, he remembered the camaraderie, the pride he had in his mission and his Unit. He truly believed the played a large part in preventing WWIII. He, as well as all the members of the 26th should be proud of their part in the Cold War. This included all the wives and children, for without them our lives would be incomplete. When SAC at Altus AFB closed in 1968, he was transferred to Guam where he headed one of the cresw at Headquarters planning the missions to Vietnam. He flew 30 missions to Vietnam.
He left Guam in 1970 and spent three years at Grand Forks, North Dakota. He retured in 1973 as a Lt. Col. and returned to Altus, OK. He was a member of the Altus Lions's Club, Patrons of the Arts, as well as President on the Board of Legal Aid. He was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church.
Walter is preceded in death by his parents, wife and one brother. He is survived by his daughters: Kathy Miller Moir and husband Allan; LTC Jean M. Meacham (Ret) and her husband Tom; Mindy Smiley and Husband Jack; one brother Lloyd Paul Miller and wife Sue; one sister-in-law, Linda Miller, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
